Translation guide
How to express 'first time' in Japanese, covering first experiences, initial occurrences, and the first instance of something.
Expressing that it is your first time doing an activity or having an experience.
Use 初めて (hajimete) before a verb to mean 'for the first time'. This is the most common and natural way to express a first-time experience.
Is this your first time in Japan?
I ate sushi for the first time.
I was nervous when we met for the first time.
Use 初めての (hajimete no) before a noun to describe a first-time thing or experience.
It's my first trip abroad.
Literally 'for the first time in my life', used for emphasizing a truly unprecedented experience.
I climbed Mt. Fuji for the first time in my life.
Referring to the initial occurrence or instance of something.
Means 'first time' or 'first session' for events, meetings, classes, etc. Common in schedules and formal contexts.
Expressing that something hasn't happened for a long time and is now happening again.
Means 'for the first time in a long time'. Used when you do something again after a long interval.
Describing a sequence where one event occurs for the first time and leads to another.
Use 初めて (hajimete) before a verb and add とき (toki) to mean 'when I did something for the first time'.
初めて (hajimete) is an adverb meaning 'for the first time' and is used with verbs. 最初 (saisho) is a noun meaning 'the beginning' or 'first', and can be used as 'the first time' in some contexts, but it emphasizes the starting point rather than the novelty of the experience.
First dates are nerve-wracking, aren't they?
The first class is next week.
There is a discount for first-time customers only.
Means 'first' or 'beginning'. Can be used as 'the first time' in contexts like 'the first time I saw it'.
When was the first time we met?
Can be used as a noun meaning 'the first time', often in set phrases.
The first time is crucial.
I watched a movie for the first time in a while.
I met a friend for the first time in a long time.
The first time I went to Japan, I was deeply moved.
the first person I met (in a sequence)
一番目 (ichibanme) means 'the first one' in a numbered list or order, not 'the first time' as an experience. Avoid translating 'first time' literally as 一番目の時.
the first question (in a list)